Des Plaines man accused of stealing $18,000 in phishing scam, police say

A Des Plaines man is accused of stealing $18,000 from a San Diego resident's bank account in a phishing scam, police said.

Nasir Shaikh, 71, of the 700 block of West Algonquin Road, was taken into custody Monday after a nearly yearlong investigation, according to a news release.

Shaikh is charged with two felony counts of wire fraud.

San Diego police notified Des Plaines police about the crime in November 2022.

The victim had been contacted by a man claiming to work for her bank, police said. After she verified her account information, the scammer transferred the money to an account at a different bank, police said.

Shaikh was linked to the crime after police discovered the thief's bank account was registered to a business at his address, according to the news release.

Following his arrest, Shaikh admitted taking the money and confessed to scamming a second victim who lives in Pasadena, California, police said.

No details were available about the second case.